by: the Common Constitutionalist

For regular readers, you know I use a lot of football analogies. Well – here’s another.

Say you get permission from the NFL to create an expansion team – a brand new professional football franchise.

You, the owner, do your due diligence and hire who you feel is the best available Coach and General Manager.

The League office encourages other teams to aid your new franchise, lending their expertise and advice on various issues regarding football operations, free agency, the draft, etc.

One day you sit down with your new General Manager and Coach and start making calls to other teams for guidance. So whom do you call? And who do you not?

If you’re smart, you call the proven winners – starting with the New England Patriots (of course), then move on to the Steelers, Broncos, Packers, Cowboys and Giants. You seek out the proven winners – franchises that show up in the playoffs either every year, or at least most years.

Who you don’t call is the Cleveland Browns, the Buffalo Bills, or Jacksonville Jaguars. No offence, but why would you or anyone take advice on building a winning franchise from teams that rarely, if ever, win. read more

by: the Common Constitutionalist

Donald Trump has been saying for months that part of America’s problem is that we’re just not winning anymore – and you know – he’s right – sort of. We don’t win regarding trade deals or wars or whatever. As he states – the rest of the world is eating our lunch.

Well, not exactly.

As many others and I have attempted to explain (wars aside), we lose because of self-inflicted wounds – not from outside forces outflanking us, so to speak. Let me explain it this way.

There are two racers at a starting line about to compete in a 200 meter dash. It’s not rocket science. The fastest guy wins – that’s it. However, in this race the track is not laid out equitably. The first sprinter has but one rule. Stay in your lane and run full out to the finish line. But the second racer is not so lucky. In front of him (or her, for all you feminists) there is a mud pit, a 15 ft cargo net and log obstacles. And to add insult to injury, the obstacles were set up by his own coaches. Now who do you think will win? Of course the sprinter who has no obstacles. read more